Police have resumed their desperate search for a missing nine-year-old girl after she and her sibling fell from a pier into the River Thames.
Lifeboats and coastguard helicopters spent yesterday afternoon hunting for the girl, who vanished near the Royal Terrace Pier at Gravesend, Kent, in front of her parents.
Locals joined the authorities at the promenade to help the family, believed to be from Romania, with the search for the missing girl.
Her brother, thought to be aged 7, was recovered from the water and has been taken to the hospital where his condition was deemed not to be life-threatening. Two men jumped into the river to save him, KentOnline reports.
However, the search for the girl, understood to be aged 9, continued into the evening but was suspended around 6.30pm. Kent Police confirmed that the hunt of the water and river bank continued this morning, as her location remains unknown.
Warning signs reading ‘DANGER. Strong currents. Deep mud. WARNING KEEP OFF’ are posted every 40ft along the promenade edge.
Two park users said the children had gone onto a jetty which leads down to the water before the alarm was first raised at around 1.35pm.
A woman, who did not want to be named, said: ‘Apparently they were sitting on the end of the jetty with their feet in the water.
Lifeboats and coastguard helicopters have spent the afternoon looking for the girl who vanished near the Royal Terrace Pier at Gravesend, Kent, in front of her parents
The boy has been recovered from the water and has been taken to hospital for further medical attention
Warning signs reading ‘DANGER. Strong currents. Deep mud. WARNING KEEP OFF’ are posted every 40ft along the promenade edge
‘Exactly what happened I don’t know but the jetty is very slippery. There’s steps off of it.’
One woman, who made her way to the pier to help with the search, said: ‘The little girl is Romanian. We saw it on our community group so we we came down here to help. We don’t know her name or the family.’
An RNLI lifeboat, coastguard helicopter as well as police boats were involved in the search operation.
Other locals spoke of their horror at the ongoing search.
One said: ‘I saw the helicopter earlier but didn’t realise what it was about. It’s awful news. I hope she’s found safely.’
Another added: ‘The river is so dangerous. The currents are incredibly strong.
‘It looks calm and lovely but it is treacherous. You can be swept away in seconds,’ she continued.
‘And the water is freezing cold too.
‘I remember when I was young there was a teenage lad who got caught in the current while swimming. They eventually found him on the mudflats.
‘I hope the girl is found safe and well. It’s awful.’
An HM Coastguard spokesman said: ‘HM Coastguard responded to a report of two children in difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier, Gravesend. The alarm was raised at about 1.35pm on May 30.
The search for the girl, understood to be aged 9, continued into the evening but was suspended around 6.30pm
Several emergency services vehicles have been spotted by the Royal Pier Terrace and the Port of London authority’s (PLA) office
An RNLI lifeboat, coastguard helicopter as well as police boats were involved in the search operation
Police were first alerted at 1.46pm by the Port of London Authority after two children fell into the Thames
‘Metropolitan Police boats were attending as well as the RNLI lifeboat from Gravesend, Kent Police, and a police helicopter. South East Coast Ambulance Service was sent.
‘One child has been recovered and the search for a second child has now been suspended.’
A cordon has been put place at the junction of Commercial Place, The Terrace and Milton Place. It is understood a nearby fitness area was also been taped off.
Several emergency services vehicles have also been spotted by the Royal Pier Terrace and the Port of London authority’s (PLA) office.
An eyewitness told KentOnline: ‘Officers are stationed along the river from Royal Terrace Pier to Town Pier and appear to be looking in the water.
‘There are approximately four boats out at sea, including police and RNLI vessels.’
A Kent Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers are continuing the search of the River Thames at Gravesend for a missing child.
‘Kent Police was called by the Port of London Authority at 1.46pm on Friday 30 May 2025, to concerns for the welfare of two children who had entered the river at Royal Pier Road.
A spokesperson confirmed the Gravesend RNLI were tasked by the coastguard to assist police shortly before 2pm and currently remain on scene.
‘Officers, H.M. Coastguard, the RNLI and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene where a boy had been retrieved from the water. He was taken to a local hospital where his condition was not described the be life-threatening.
‘Kent Police’s Marine Unit and H.M. Coastguard are continuing a search of the water and river bank this morning for a girl who remains missing.’
A South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) spokesperson said: ‘SECAmb were called at approx. 1.40pm today to concerns for the welfare of two people who had entered the river at Royal Pier Road in Gravesend.
‘Crews attended the scene, and a male patient was assessed and treated before being taken to a local hospital for further medical treatment.’
A spokesperson confirmed the Gravesend RNLI were tasked by the coastguard to assist police shortly before 2pm and currently remain on scene.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said said: ‘The alarm was raised at about 1.35pm on 30 May.
‘Metropolitan Police boats were attending as well as the RNLI lifeboat from Gravesend, Kent Police, and a police helicopter. East Coast Ambulance Service was sent.
‘One child has been recovered and the search for a second child has now been suspended.’
